Q. Symptoms of celiac disease?

The list of symptoms as mentioned in various sources for celiac disease includes:

• Digestive symptoms - diarrhoea, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, pale stool, foul-smelling stool, loose stool, flatulence.

• Behavioural symptoms - there are also several other symptoms such as irritability - especially in children, depression and behaviour changes in adults.

• Inadequate nutrition symptoms - because celiac causes malabsorption, the body does not get enough nutrients, leading to symptoms such as weight loss, delayed growth, failure to thrive (infants), missed menstrual periods, anaemia and fatigue. Anaemia is the most common laboratory manifestation of celiac disease. Iron is absorbed in the proximal small intestine, where celiac manifestations are most prominent; hence, iron malabsorption is common. Less commonly, vitamin B,, deficiency, folate deficiency, or both may be present.

• Gas formation, bone pain, joint pain, seizures and muscle cramps.

• Non-specific symptoms - some people get mild but unclear symptoms such as, tingling sensation, numbness (due to damage of nerves in the legs), painful skin rash, tooth discolouration and enamel loss.